


A Collection of Bad Poképuns and the Story of one Jacqueline "Jackie" Mayfield

by AyVee175



Series: Pokémon Fics [2]
Category: Pocket Monsters: X & Y | Pokemon X & Y Versions
Genre: Ballroom Dancing, Eventual Romance, F/M, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Kidnapping, Pre-Canon, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-05
Updated: 2019-11-13
Packaged: 2021-01-23 19:34:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 6,096
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21325507
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AyVee175/pseuds/AyVee175
Summary: I have noticed a startling lack of completed pokémon fanfiction on this site, so I decided to rectify that issue and write my own. The story will be much more in line with the pokémon anime than the games, since that was my first real exposure to the world of pokémon and I haven't played any of the games due to a lack of the proper devices. Sorry if that bothers you. This particular story takes place in the Kalos region prior to the events of the anime. I will most likely have some small places or events that do not canonically exist, or, at the very least were never mentioned, but will be in the story to forward the plot. If that bothers you, again, sorry. I wrote this mostly for fun, because I've wanted to write some kind of pokémon fanfiction ever since I first saw the anime. Also, I'm not sorry for the bad poképuns. Enjoy.
Relationships: Original Female Character(s)/Original Male Character(s)
Series: Pokémon Fics [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1678498
Comments: 1
Kudos: 1





	1. The Journey Begins

**Author's Note:**

> Due to school and stuff, I will have a pretty sporadic upload schedule, so don't be surprised if I sometimes go weeks without posting a new chapter. I'll finish this thing eventually, but it's gonna take some time. Without further ado, I present to you, A Collection of Bad Poképuns and the Story of one Jacqueline "Jackie" Mayfield.

Jackie awoke with a start as the shrill tone of her alarm attacked her eardrums. She shut it off and was about to go back to sleep when she realized why she'd set the alarm in the first place: today was her birthday. She was now 11, which meant she was eligible to get her pokémon license! Jackie sprang out of bed and threw on the outfit she'd set aside the night before. As the girl tied her long, dusty purple hair into a braid, she practically ran down the stairs to the kitchen, giving her mother a hasty greeting. She proceeded to wolf down her breakfast, then run back upstairs to grab her messenger bag and backpack from her room.

She double-checked to make sure she had everything, then bounded back down the stairs to the front door. Jackie hurriedly tugged on her boots, tied her favorite fleece around her waist, and said goodbye to her mother. They shared a tender, loving embrace, her mother bombarding her with questions. "Have you packed extra clothes? Money? Do you have a sleeping bag? A blanket? Food? Is your notebook in there? Did you remember to pack items for your pokémon? Potions? Revives? Berries? Pokéballs?"

"Yes, mama. I've double-checked everything, and I'm not missing any items."

"Be careful out there, Jacqueline. Don't get yourself hurt too bad, okay baby? And promise you'll call me as soon as you get to the Pokémon Center."

"I will, mama. I promise."

"I love you."

"I love you, too."

Then Jackie was off, running like the wind to Professor Sycamore's lab as her mother watched from the door of their house.

Panting, Jackie burst through the front doors of the lab, creating more of a disturbance than she would have liked, and saw two women in lab coats standing off to one side of the room. They looked up when she entered, and told Jackie to wait a moment. One of the women, she had short, dark magenta hair, hurried off to go find the professor. Jackie shifted her weight from one foot to the other, and suddenly felt self-conscious about the simplicity of her outfit: a plain blue t-shirt and a pair of black leggings, with her light purple fleece tied around her waist.

The short-haired woman returned, followed by Professor Sycamore. He released three pokémon, which Jackie recognized as Chespin, Froakie, and Fennekin, the Kalos Region starter pokémon. Jackie had been anticipating this moment for as long as she could remember, and now that it was finally here, it almost didn't feel real. She looked at the pokémon in front of her, and made her decision.

“I choose...Fennekin!” She said, kneeling down in front of the fire-type starter. Jackie put her hand out for Fennekin to sniff, and it let her pet its head.

“Marvelous!” The professor exclaimed, clapping his hands together. He returned all three starters to their pokéballs. “Now then, here is your pokédex and Fennekin's pokéball.” He held out a box-like contraption and a pokéball, and Jackie put the items into her bag. “Good luck on your journey, trainer!” Professor Sycamore called after Jackie as she walked outside.

“Thanks, Professor!” She called back. Jackie closed the door to Professor Sycamore's lab and began the walk to Santalune City. She could hardly believe that she was an actual pokémon trainer now. Jackie decided to let Fennekin out. Maybe the experience would feel more real if she had her pokémon walking beside her. She took out Fennekin's pokéball and opened it. A stream of white light came out and the fire-type appeared in front of her.

“Hi Fennekin! My name is Jacqueline, but I go by Jackie.”

“Fennekin.”

“I hope we can be friends. Would you like that?”

“Kin!”

“I'll take that as a yes. Come on.”

“Fen.” Fennekin pawed at Jackie's leg, and stood up on its hind legs.

“You want me to carry you?”

“Fenne!”

“Okay.” Jackie picked up Fennekin and the fox pokémon climbed to her shoulder, where she sat. “Enjoying the view from up here?”

“Kin!” Jackie laughed.

“Okay. Well, if you like it, you can ride on my shoulder.”

“Fen.” “You're welcome, Vix.”

“Kin?”

“Can I call you Vix? It’s like vixen, but shorter.”

“Kin!”

It occurred to Jackie that she had her pokédex with her. She pulled it out of her bag and pointed it at Vix.

_ Fennekin, the Fox Pokémon. Fennekin expels hot air that can reach nearly 400 degrees. It likes to snack on twigs._

Jackie put her pokédex away and kneeled down to pick up a couple of twigs from the ground. She stood up and gave one to Vix, who ate it out of her hand. _Cute_, she thought as Vix wagged her tail. Jackie put the rest of the twigs into her bag for later, and continued on her journey.


	2. Birds of a Feather

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Jackie and Vix find a new friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So. I already have some of this fic written, up to about Chapter 6, so I'll be able to post more often for a few days since all I'm doing is copying and pasting. My progress will slow down considerably after that, so bear with me. Enjoy Chapter 2 and it's very punny title.

Jackie and Vix continued along the path to Santalune City, stopping around midday for lunch. Jackie pulled a blanket out of her backpack, and set up a picnic lunch. They had just started eating when a wild bird pokémon flew down and started eating some of Vix's food.

“Fennekin!” The fox pokémon said, clearly agitated.

“Hey! Back off! That's Vix's food, not yours! Get your own!” Jackie yelled at the intruder, which she'd recognized as a small, common bird pokémon called Fletchling. The Fletchling either didn't understand or didn't care, because it stole another bite of Vix's food. It swallowed, then decided to use Peck on Vix.

“Vix, dodge it and use Scratch!” Jackie commanded. Vix lunged at the offending Fletchling with its claws extended and scratched it. The Fletchling retaliated with Peck again, but Vix dodged it.

“Use Ember!” Vix tilted her head back and shot a burst of small flames at the Fletchling. It tried to dodge, but some of the Ember hit its wing. The bird pokémon got ready to use Peck again, and dove towards Vix. “Get another Ember ready,” Jackie said. When the Fletchling was too close to dodge her attack, she yelled, “Now!”

Vix launched her Ember attack, which hit the Fletchling at point blank range. The bird pokémon dropped to the ground, knocked out. Jackie took a pokéball out of her bag and threw it at the Fletchling, trapping it inside. The ball made a bing! sound, and then the Fletchling was caught.

“Hooray! I just caught my first pokémon!”

“Fenne!”

“Thank you for your help, Vix. You were amazing.”

“Kin!”

“Now Fletchling, come on out!” Jackie opened Fletchling's pokeball, releasing it. However, it was still badly injured, so she dug through her bag for a potion and used it on the bird pokémon. It was back to normal in no time, and flew a couple of laps around Jackie's head before landing in front of Fennekin.

“Fletch. Fletchling.”

“Fen.”

“Ling!”

“Fennekin.”

“Are you two good now?”

“Fletch!”

“Kin!”

“Good. Now let's finish up our lunch, I want to make it to the Pokémon Center before nightfall." Vix and Fletchling reluctantly shared their bowl of food, and Jackie noticed that they took turns eating. Neither of them seemed to like touching the other. Jackie wondered if they were like that with all pokémon.

When they were finished, Jackie packed up the blanket and everything else, stowing it all in her backpack. She patted her right shoulder, and Vix jumped up to her perch on Jackie’s shoulder. Fletchling landed on Jackie's other shoulder, and she chuckled softly. _These two are quite similar,_ she thought. _They both ride on my shoulders, they don't like touching other pokémon, and they both seem to be proud creatures._ The trio continued their journey, following the path through the forest to the Pokémon Center.

Jackie decided now was as good a time as any to see what the pokédex had to say about Fletchling, so she pulled it out and pointed it at the bird pokémon.

_Fletchling, the Tiny Robin Pokémon. Although Fletchling’s chirp is quite beautiful to hear, it is relentlessly tough with those who enter its territory._

“Huh. So that’s why you attacked Vix.” Fletchling cocked its head at Jackie. “Well, I can’t say I really blame you. It’s only natural to want to protect your territory.” Jackie looked over at Vix and saw something like jealousy etched into her features, so she dug around in her bag for a twig and gave it to her pokémon. Vix happily munched on her snack, satisfied that Jackie had paid attention to her, and the trio continued on their way.


	3. Duck and Cover

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Jackie has her first double battle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's another punny chapter title. I'm not sorry. Enjoy.

At some point during the afternoon, Jackie and her pokémon came across a river. There were two blue, duck-like pokémon blocking the bridge across. Jackie had never seen these pokémon before, so she pulled out her pokédex and scanned one of them.

_Ducklett, the Water Bird Pokémon. A skilled diver, Ducklett swims underwater in search of its favorite food: peat moss._

The Ducklett had noticed Jackie now, and were staring daggers at her by the time her pokédex finished reading the entry. Fletchling flew over to them, and the two Ducklett loomed menacingly over the tiny bird. One of them smacked Fletchling with its wing, which sent the smaller pokémon flying backwards, coming to a stop at Jackie's feet. “Oh no! Fletchling, are you alright?”

“Fletch.” Fletchling chirped as it stood up and flew to Jackie's outstretched hand.

“Good. Now let's give those Ducklett a taste of their own medicine, shall we? Use Peck! Vix, use Scratch!”

Jackie's pokémon did as they were told, and Fletchling landed a direct hit, while Vix struck a glancing blow. “Again!” She commanded. Her pokémon obeyed again, but this time, the Ducklett were ready for it. They both launched jets of water from their beaks at Jackie's pokémon.

“Dodge it!” Fletchling got out of the way in time. Vix shuddered as her tail got hit.

“Vix, use Scratch again! Fletchling, cover her with Double Team!”

Fletchling projected copies of itself into the air around the Ducklett, and while they were looking at the illusions, Vix caught them off guard with Fury Swipes. “Ember!” Vix landed another direct hit at point blank range, burning both of its opponents. The Ducklett howled with rage and both simultaneously used Water Gun on Vix, which, unfortunately, was also a direct hit at point blank range, and was super effective because of Vix's fire typing.

Vix fainted, leaving Fletchling to fight the Ducklett alone.

“Vix, return!” Jackie called, putting Vix back inside her pokéball. “You were wonderful, thank you,” she said, before putting the ball away in her bag. Jackie turned her attention back to the battle in time to see Fletchling narrowly escape a Water Gun from one of the Ducklett.

“Use Peck!” Fletchling dove toward one of the Ducklett at top speed, and the move hit the pokémon squarely on top of its head. The Ducklett in question fainted, which angered its friend even more. The remaining Ducklett used Ice Beam, which hit Fletchling's tail and caused it to fly slowly and irregularly. It also now had no way to steer. “Come on Fletchling, I'm counting on you!” Jackie called to it. She'd noticed that the Ducklett was on its last legs. “Use Double Team, then finish this with Peck!”

Fletchling did as instructed, and managed to land another direct hit, this time to the opponent's gut. The Ducklett collapsed, knocked out, and Jackie called Fletchling over to her. She held out an arm, and Fletchling used it as a perch while Jackie searched for a Potion in her bag. She found one and sprayed it on Fletchling, healing its wounds. The ice on its tail remained, and Jackie knew she wouldn't be able to remove it until they reached the Pokémon Center, so she put Fletchling back in its ball, crossed the bridge, and started sprinting for the Pokémon Center.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so typing these chapters out here has made me realize how short they are, especially this one. They'll get longer, I promise, but I personally find it difficult to clump together two small unrelated events and name that chapter accordingly, and as a result, the beginning of Jackie's journey will be told in shorter chapters. My hope is that they'll start getting longer after her first gym battle, but until then, bear with me. The other reason these are such short chapters is that I started writing this fic on my phone, and typing on a phone is annoying and the chapters look longer on my phone because it's a smaller screen. Now that I can type them on my computer, they should start getting longer, but it may take a while.


	4. An Odd-ish Encounter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Jackie has a weird dream and meets an Oddish on a mission.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter is a bit longer, and I'll try my best to keep them this length or longer from here on out. Also, to anyone who is reading this, thank you. Thank you so much. It means the world to me to see people actually reading something that I wrote. This is the first time I've ever put one of my stories online for other people to read, and I won't hesitate to admit that it makes me a bit nervous, because I want people to like my stories, but putting myself and my writing on the internet for the first time, sharing something as dear to me as my stories, is kinda nerve-wracking. So a million thanks to you for reading my first public work. Anyway, here's Chapter 4. It took me a lot of trips to Bulbapedia to look up levels, moves, etc., but it's done. I hope you enjoy!

_ Running down a strange, dark corridor, with no exit in sight. Screeches, howls, echoing all around. Can’t stop running. Falling down, down, down. Sounds fading out. Blinding light. A towering silhouette, coming closer, closer, closer still. Reaching out, nothing happens. Screaming out, nothing happens. Crying out, still nothing happens. Writhing, kicking, shouting, all useless. All goes dark. A dark purple streak, agonized cry, silence again. Winded, struggling to breathe, dizzy, everything blurry. Dark again. A symbol, the same purple as before. Blurry. Coming into focus, almost there, closer, closer, gone. _

Jackie woke with a start and sat bolt upright.  _ What was that? _ When she couldn’t shake the nightmare from her head, she finally decided to write it down. She pulled out her notebook and opened it to the last section, the only one without a title. Jackie grabbed a pen and wrote:  _ Dream Log _ . She flipped to the first page of the section and wrote down the date and her dream.

_Entry One: 07/17, 02:10 a.m._

_ I had a very weird dream. It was actually more like a nightmare. I was running through a dark corridor, and I could hear things screeching and howling around me. I tried to stop running, but couldn’t. Then I was falling, the sounds fading away, and the darkness was replaced by a blinding light. A tall silhouette of what I assume to be a man appeared and walked closer to me. The figure was towering over me, and I tried reaching out to it. Nothing happened. I tried screaming. Same result. I tried screaming. Again, it didn’t work. I tried everything: writhing, kicking, and shouting, but nothing worked. I couldn’t move or make any noise. Then everything went dark again, but a dark purple streak appeared a moment later. I heard an agonized cry, then silence. Suddenly, all the wind was knocked out of me. I could barely breathe. I got dizzy, and everything was blurry. All that in the same moment that the streak appeared. It went dark again. Then a symbol appeared, the same color as the streak. It was far away, and blurry at first. The symbol came closer and closer, and I could almost make out what it was, and then it was gone, and I woke up. _

Jackie wondered what in Arceus’ name her dream could have meant, then decided she would think about that later, because it was 2:30 a.m. and she had a long day ahead of her. The problem was, Jackie couldn’t sleep. She tried everything, but nothing worked. After about an hour of trying (and failing) to fall asleep, she decided to take a short walk to clear her head.

Quietly, so as not to disturb Vix and Fletchling, who were both sleeping peacefully (can we take a moment to appreciate how fast and efficient pokémon healthcare is?), Jackie slipped on her fleece and tennis shoes and tiptoed out of the room, carefully shutting the door behind her. She walked out the front door of the Pokémon Center and was immediately glad she’d worn her fleece. It wasn’t particularly cold out, as it was the middle of summer, but the wind was blowing in from the north, which chilled the air. As Jackie walked around the building, she heard a noise. It sounded like a pokémon calling for help or panicking, so Jackie decided to go check it out. She followed the sound to find a small Oddish getting beaten up by a gang of Scraggy. 

“Hey! Leave that poor Oddish alone!” Jackie yelled at the Scraggy. She towered over the pokémon, which scared them away. The injured Oddish tried to get up and collapsed, so Jackie picked it up and brought it inside. “Nurse Joy! I’ve got an emergency!” She called.

Nurse Joy hurried out to Jackie, rubbing sleep from her eyes, and was promptly joined by a Wigglytuff pushing a stretcher. Jackie handed over the Oddish, and it was rushed into the back to receive urgent care. Suddenly exhausted, Jackie trudged back up to her room on the second floor and almost collapsed onto the bed. She was out like a light, and slept like a rock for the rest of the night.

Jackie woke up the next morning to Vix and Fletchling right in front of her face. She sat up with a groan and stretched. Her pokémon were hungry, and began pestering her for food. After getting dressed and ready for the day, Jackie let her pokémon run around in the lobby of the Pokémon Center while she talked to Nurse Joy.

“How’s Oddish doing?” Jackie asked the nurse.

“It’s just fine now,” Nurse Joy replied. Wigglytuff brought Oddish out on a stretcher. However, when Jackie walked over to it, the pokémon ran away, much to everyone’s surprise.

“Hey wait!” Jackie ran after the Oddish, followed closely by Vix and Fletchling. She chased the Oddish to the clearing she’d found it in, where it was once again being beaten by the same gang of Scraggy from the night before. However, this time the gang was being led by a Scrafty.

Jackie and her pokémon burst into the clearing, causing the Scrafty and its gang to momentarily stop beating on Oddish and look up. “I told you to leave it alone!” Jackie yelled. The Scraggy seemed like they would back off again, but the Scrafty was undaunted by Jackie’s height and aggression. When it moved to kick the defenseless Oddish again, Jackie commanded Vix to use Ember on it. The move landed and the Scrafty turned its attention to Jackie and her pokémon.

“Leave it alone, you bully! Fletchling, use Peck!” Fletchling dove at full speed toward the Scrafty, which was unable to dodge the attack. It was super effective, and sent the larger pokémon reeling. The Oddish got up and used Acid, which also made contact. This angered the Scrafty, and it used Feint Attack on the Oddish.

“Fletchling, use Peck again!” The bird pokémon attacked while the Scrafty was distracted by the Oddish. The move landed again, and again sent the Scrafty reeling before it could hit Oddish. “Vix, Ember!” Vix's Ember landed, and the Scrafty retaliated with Headbutt. The move sent the fox pokémon flying backwards toward Jackie, who caught it. “Are you alright?” She asked Vix.

“Kin.”

“Good. Now Fletchling, use Peck again!”

Fletchling dove once more at the Scrafty, but before it could land the move, the Oddish used Acid again, which made contact and had the Scrafty on its last legs. Fletchling paused, and Jackie and her pokémon watched as the Oddish dealt the final blow to the Scrafty with Razor Leaf.

Unfortunately, Oddish was still injured from the beating it had received earlier, and it collapsed where it stood after a few moments. Jackie picked it up and carried it and Vix to the Pokémon Center, Fletchling flying close behind. Nurse Joy came out to meet them again, Wigglytuff following with another stretcher. Jackie placed Oddish on the stretcher, then put Vix and Fletchling next to it, as they were both tired from the battle and had taken a fair amount of damage.

Jackie now realized that she’d forgotten to call her mother, so when her pokémon came back, she found one of the phones and used it to dial home.

“Jackie? Is that you?” Her mother’s face was a welcome sight.

“It’s me, mama. Sorry I didn’t call you last night, I forgot.”

“That’s alright, at least you’re safe.” Jackie’s mother gestured to Vix and Fletchling. “Who are these two?”

“This is Vix, and this is Fletchling,” Jackie said, indicating her pokémon as she said their names. “Say hi to my mama, guys!”

“Fletch!”

“Kin!”

“Hello you two! It’s nice to meet you. Take good care of Jackie for me, okay?”

“Mama!” Jackie's ears turned red with embarrassment.

Jackie’s mother laughed. “I have to get back to work now, baby. Remember to call again soon. I love you.”

“I will. I love you too, mom. Bye.” The call ended, and Jackie said goodbye to Nurse Joy. As soon as she walked through the doors, Oddish ran outside, once more disappearing around the corner of the Pokémon Center. At this point, Jackie needed to get going, and she figured that since Oddish had beaten the Scrafty, it wasn't likely to return for a while, so she continued on her way to Santalune City and her first gym battle.


	5. Hi! My Name Is...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Jackie gains a traveling companion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Literally the only reason I even wrote this chapter was to introduce the character Vance. He's super important to the plot, especially later in the story. That's why this chapter is so short, and also because when I realized how short it is, I'd already started writing Chapter 6. Anyways, I hope you enjoy.

The next few days of Jackie’s journey were fairly uneventful and fortunately devoid of weird dreams. She made good progress towards Santalune City, and researched the Gym there to aid in training her pokémon. The Gym Leader’s name was Viola, and her specialty was bug-type pokémon. She was also a photographer and the sister of a famous journalist, Alexa, who she sometimes worked with. Both she and her sister were very accomplished for their ages; Viola was 16 and Alexa was 18. Jackie had seen Viola battle on TV before, and her skills were nothing to sneeze at. Jackie and her pokémon trained after dinner every night, sometimes battling, and sometimes watching and studying Viola’s televised battles.

“There.” Jackie paused the recording they were watching on her phone and pointed at the screen. “See how Surskit used Ice Beam to coat the battlefield in ice? We’ll need to prepare for that.” Jackie pulled out her pokédex and looked up Surskit. “It says here that Surskit can also use Sticky Web and Signal Beam. Sticky Web will be a problem, especially because if it misses, you could still get knocked backwards into it.” She thought for a bit, then headed out to the battlefield behind the Pokémon Center.

“Vix, can you dig your claws into the ground?” Vix unsheathed her short claws and dug them into the dirt. “Good. Your Ember should also be able to melt a spot for you to stand in. Fletchling, the ice battlefield won't be a problem for you since you can fly, but what about Sticky Web? We don't have a way to train for that.” Jackie was lost in thought, and didn't see the boy that walked out of the Pokémon Center towards the battlefield.

“Are you training for Viola's Gym?” The boy asked Jackie.

“Yeah. I've watched her battle, and I looked up Surskit in my pokédex. I'm trying to figure out how to train for Sticky Web,” Jackie replied.

“I can help.” The boy sent out a Froakie. “Cal here can use his frubbles to simulate Sticky Web.”

“Really? Thanks! My name is Jackie, what's yours?”

“I'm Vance. Nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you too. Now let's get started!”

Jackie and Vance moved to opposite sides of the battlefield, and Vance commanded Cal to throw his frubbles at Vix and Fletchling.

“Dodge the frubbles!” Jackie commanded. Vix and Fletchling jumped and flew out of the way, but Cal kept throwing his frubbles. Eventually, Fletchling was caught off guard and got a giant clump of frubbles to his face. He fell down, and Jackie walked over and picked him up.

“Vix, use Ember on the frubbles!” Vix shot a cloud of sparks at the clumps of frubbles flying at it, which made them catch fire and melt, falling harmlessly to the ground.

“Okay, Cal, that's enough.” Vance said. Cal stopped throwing the frubbles.

“Thanks for the help, Vance,” Jackie said as they walked inside. “Do you know how I can clean off Fletchling's face?”

“Yeah. Just rinse it off with water, that should do the trick.”

“Okay, thank you!”

“No problem.”

Jackie disappeared into the bathroom with Fletchling for a few moments, and returned with the bird pokémon, all cleaned up and perched on her shoulder. “Come here, Vix,” she said, and Vix jumped into her arms.

“Hey, Jackie?”

“Yeah?”

“Since we’re both going to Santalune City, can we travel together?”

“I don’t see why not.”

“Awesome! Thanks a million. We can help each other train along the way, too.”

“Okay. I’ll see you in the morning then.”

“Goodnight, Jackie.”

“Night, Vance.”

The two trainers returned to their rooms and slept soundly, both dreaming of their upcoming battles against Viola.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cal is derived from the Latin word 'callidus', meaning sneaky. Nothing else I tried to translate came out to something I could make a name out of that would be appropriate for a ninja frog. Vix’s name is an abbreviation of the word vixen, which is the term for a female fox. Also, just to clarify my choices of pronouns for the pokémon, in the anime, pokémon are referred to as 'it'. Since this fic is based primarily on the anime, I will also be referring to pokémon using 'it'. I know that in some previous chapters, I have used he/him and she/her pronouns, but I don't have the energy right now to go back and fix every single instance of pokémon being referred to as he/him or she/her. Maybe I will at some point in the future.


	6. Double Trouble

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Jackie and Vance meet two young twins who think pokémon are just amazing and ask to see Jackie and Vance battle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thought now would be a good time to give a physical description of Vance, because I don’t feel like fitting one into this chapter without it being weird or out of place. So here you go: Vance is slightly taller than Jackie, with caramel skin, dark turquoise eyes, and messy black hair. He wears a slightly faded turquoise shirt under a black sleeveless jacket, and dark denim jeans, with black and white sneakers and a black and turquoise beanie. Also, a more detailed description of Jackie. She has waist-length dusty purple hair worn in a braid, dark purple eyes, and dusty brown skin. She is wearing a solid color light blue t-shirt, black leggings, dark purple and white boots, and a lilac purple fleece tied around her waist. Also, this is the last chapter that I wrote before posting this, so expect my uploads to be pretty sporadic from here on out. It's also quite a bit longer, and I want to try to make all my chapters about this long from here on out. I hope you enjoy.

Jackie woke up to find Vix’s and Fletchling’s faces inches from hers again. She suspected this would be a regular occurrence from here on out. “Good morning to you too,” Jackie grumbled as she pulled herself out of bed. A few minutes later Jackie and her pokémon were gathered in the lobby of the Pokémon Center while Vance finished talking to Nurse Joy. He finished up and walked over to her, Cal perched on his shoulder.

"You ready to go?" Vance asked as he reached Jackie.

"Yup." Jackie turned to address her pokémon. "Come on, you two." Vix and Fletchling took their places on Jackie's shoulders, and she stood and walked out of the Pokémon Center with Vance.

The two trainers walked in companionable silence most of the way, occasionally pointing things out to each other. When they stopped in a small clearing and prepared lunch, Jackie struck up a conversation. "So, since we're going to be traveling together for at least another day or so, we might as well get to know each other."

"That's reasonable."

"Where are you from?"

"I came here from Lumiose City, but I'm originally from the Unova region, actually."

"That's cool!" Jackie set out a bowl of food for Vix and Fletchling, who, as per usual, took turns eating. "I also live in Lumiose City, but my house is on the outskirts. Do you have any other pokémon, or just Cal?"

"I have one other pokémon, an Eevee that my mother caught for me back home and brought with us to Kalos. I took care of it, though. When I could finally get my trainer's license, my mother gave me Eevee's pokéball and said it was my pokémon, since I'd raised it."

"May I see Eevee?" Jackie asked, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.

"Okay. It needs to eat anyway. Come on out Eevee!" Vance tossed Eevee's pokéball in the air and the pokémon appeared next to Cal.

"Awww! It's so cute!" Jackie squealed. "May I pet it? Please?"

"Alright, but be gentle. Eevee is shy, so let it sniff your hand first."

Jackie put her hand out as instructed, and Eevee tentatively sniffed it. The pokémon rubbed the top of its head against Jackie's palm, which Jackie took as a sign that it was okay to pet it. She scratched behind one of Eevee's ears, and it smiled.

"Hi, Eevee. My name is Jackie. It's nice to meet you," Jackie said softly.

"Eevee." The pokémon replied. She noticed the food and bounded over to eat.

“It’s adorable.”

“Yeah. I’ve been taking care of Eevee since I was, what, five? Six?” Vance looked at his pokémon. "Anyway, I'm hungry. Let's eat our lunch now, shall we?"

"We shall." Jackie's stomach rumbled at the mention of lunch, and she and Vance sat with their pokémon and ate their lunch, making small talk in between bites of food.

-

A few hours had passed since lunch, and the sun would be setting in a few more. If Jackie had to guess, she would say it was about three, maybe four in the afternoon. She and Vance had been making good progress towards Santalune City, and getting to know each other as they walked. As they came out of the forest, the trainers saw a small town just ahead of them. Jackie sped toward the town with Vance hot on her heels, both suddenly energized by the prospect of returning to civilization. Jackie reached the town first and came to a stop, as Vance caught up and stopped next to her. They looked around for a moment, then Vance spotted the characteristic red roof of a Pokémon Center.

Jackie and Vance walked to the Pokémon Center and got rooms for the night, then had Nurse Joy give their pokémon checkups. Everything was fine, they were just tired, but their trainers were too, so no surprises there. They checked into their rooms and Jackie took the opportunity to have a quick shower and take a catnap. Vix and Fletchling also took naps, and the three of them felt much more energized when they headed out to train an hour or so later.

Jackie and her pokémon headed out to the battlefield, and Jackie decided it couldn't hurt to do a little training by herself while she waited for Vance. "Okay, Fletchling, use double team," she told the pokémon. "Vix, try to hit the copies with Ember and Scratch. Fletchling, dodge Vix's attacks." Her pokémon obeyed, and Vix landed move after move on the copies of Fletchling.

"Nice." Jackie started as Vance came out of the Pokémon Center. "Your pokémon are really talented, and that was a really creative idea."

"Thanks. I think I'll start training like this some more, and then maybe come up with something different."

"Well, there's no way you'll be unprepared to face Viola, that's for sure."

"You think so?"

"Sure! It's easy to see that you work really well with your pokémon, and that's the key to being a successful trainer." Vance said this like he knew what he was talking about, so Jackie took his word for it.

"How come you know so much about being a trainer?" Jackie was legitimately curious, because Vance did seem to know an awful lot about training pokémon, especially for someone who had just started his journey.

"My mother told me that when she gave me Eevee. She said that the most important thing a trainer needs to be able to do is work together with their pokémon." Vance went quiet and stared off into space for a moment, a vacant look in his eyes. "Anyway, let's train now, shall we?"

"We shall." Jackie giggled.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing," Jackie replied. "It's just that we said that exact same thing yesterday. The whole 'shall we' and 'we shall' thing."

"Huh. You're right."

"Anywho, let's train!"

"Right."

-

The next morning came, and Jackie woke up with her pokémon eagerly waiting for their breakfast. She groaned and got out of bed, and several minutes later, Vix and Fletchling were happily taking turns eating. Jackie sat across from Vance at one of the tables and ate her own breakfast. "Morning," she greeted.

"Good morning," he replied.

When they finished their food, Jackie had an idea. "Hey Vance?"

"Yeah?"

"Since we're here, in a town, can we just walk around and see the sights today? It might be a couple of days before we get to Santalune City, and I want to look around before we have to hit the road again."

"I don't see why not. And you're right, we are still a couple days out."

"Yay!" Jackie told her pokémon about their change of plans, and they were excited to say the least. After about a week of walking through wilderness every day, a trip around town to sightsee was a welcome change of pace.

"Alright, let's go!"

-

Jackie, Vance, and their pokémon had just finished eating lunch at a beautiful local cafe, when they were approached by two young children, a boy and a girl. Jackie guessed they were siblings, as they were about the same height and had the same strawberry blonde hair. They looked nervous, and the boy moved to stand behind the girl.

"You ask them, Mary. This was your idea." The boy said.

"Scaredy-cat. Alright. I'll do the talking." The girl, Mary, turned to look at Jackie and Vance. "My name's Mary, and this is my twin brother, Georgie. We saw that you two have pokémon. Are you trainers?" Mary's eyes were full of curiosity, and behind her, Jackie noticed that Georgie was curious, too.

"Yeah, we're trainers," Vance said. "I'm Vance."

"My name is Jackie!"

"Hi Vance and Jackie. It's super cool that you're trainers! Can we see you guys battle? Please?" Mary asked.

Jackie looked at Vance, then back at Mary and Georgie. "I don't see why not," she replied, and the twins' faces immediately lit up.

"Really?" Georgie said. "That's awesome, thank you!"

"You're very welcome, Georgie." Jackie turned to Vance. "Come on, let's go find a place to battle."

A few minutes later, Jackie and Vance were standing on opposite ends of the battlefield behind the Pokemon Center, getting ready to have their first official battle. Mary and Georgie were sitting on the sidelines, and they had brought their mother along to initiate the match.

"Battle begin!"

Vance sent out Cal, so Jackie sent out Fletchling. Vix would be at a disadvantage against a water-type, so it watched the battle with Mary and Georgie.

"Use Cut!" Vance commanded.

"Fletchling, Peck!" Jackie said.

Cal jumped up to meet Fletchling in midair as the bird pokémon dove toward it. The moves collided, knocking both of them back.

"Double Team!"

"Cut!"

Cal leaped at Fletchling again, but Fletchling quickly spawned copies of itself, distracting Cal.

"Find the real one!" Vance called. Cal cut through copy after copy, creating a cloud of dust and smoke that got bigger each time it destroyed a copy. Jackie waited until all the copies were gone to strike.

"Use Peck!" Fletchling dove through the smoke and caught Cal completely off guard with a direct hit. Mary and Georgie cheered from the sidelines, excited that a move had finally hit. Cal fell to the ground but landed on its feet, a determined look on its face.

"Are you alright, Cal?" Vance asked.

"Froakie."

"Good." Vance looked across the field at Jackie. "That was good."

"Thanks."

"Mhm. Now, Cal, use Water Pulse!"

"Fletchling, dodge it and use Peck!"

Fletchling dodged Cal's attack and dove toward it.

"Again!" Vance commanded, when Fletchling was too close to dodge. Cal's second attack hit, and Fletchling came tumbling down to the ground. It took a moment, but it was able to get back up.

"Fletchling! Do you want to keep battling?" Jackie asked, concerned.

"Fletch!"

_Of course,_ Jackie thought. _I should have known. Fletchling is too proud to admit defeat yet._ "Okay, then! Use Quick Attack!"

Fletchling dove at Cal with blinding speed, and landed another direct hit when the other pokémon couldn't react in time. Cal was knocked backwards into the battlefield, and hit the ground with an audible _thud_. The dust cloud surrounding it cleared, and revealed Cal lying on the ground, fainted.

"Froakie is unable to battle. Fletchling wins!"

"We did it! Great job, Fletchling!"

"Good job, Jackie. You earned that victory," Vance said. He bent down to pick up Cal, who had regained consciousness. "You okay, buddy?"

"Kie."

Jackie was suddenly ambushed by Mary and Georgie, who were thrilled by the battle they'd just witnessed. "That was so cool!" Mary exclaimed. Georgie nodded.

"That was really amazing, Jackie."

"Thank you," Jackie replied, blushing a little at the compliments. She walked over to Vance. "That was fun. You're really skilled."

"Thanks." Vance stood up, still holding Cal. "You're pretty good yourself."

Jackie smiled. She felt Vix jump on her empty shoulder. "Hello, you."

"Fen."

"Are you... congratulating me?"

"Kin!"

"I'll take that as a yes."

Vix smiled and rubbed its cheek against the side of Jackie's head.

"We should probably eat dinner now," Vance said. Mary, Georgie, and their mother were standing nearby.

The twins' mother turned to Jackie and Vance. "We also need to get back home. Thank you for letting these two watch your battle."

"Of course!" Jackie said. "I'm glad they enjoyed it."

"We will be going now. Thank you again!" Mary, Georgie, and their mother walked back to their house.

"Let's eat." Vance started walking back inside, Jackie following close behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my lord this chapter is finally done! I'm working on Chapter 7 now, and I want to try to get that posted sometime this weekend. It should be up by Friday or maybe Saturday at the latest. I promise Jackie and Vance's Santalune City gym battles against Viola are coming up. I want to have one more chapter before that though, because that chapter will most likely be just the battles. Also, thank you for reading this. I know I've already said it, but it really does mean a lot to me that people are reading something I wrote. So thank you again.


	7. Filler Chapter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Jackie and Vance reach Santalune City, and they finally encounter the evil team.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m back! Sorry this took so long, I have a giant project for school that’s taking up the vast majority of my time. Progress might be a little slow for a couple weeks while I work on that. I also kind of have writer’s block for this chapter because I really want to just skip to the gym battle, but I also don’t want that to happen too early, so I wanted to have a filler chapter here. Unfortunately, filler chapters are boring to write, which explains why this chapter might seem like I put less effort into it. Anyways, enjoy another weird dream sequence intro because I really didn’t know how to start this chapter.

_ Running, running, running. This corridor is familiar. Have I been here before? The same cacophony of noises. Screaming. Howling. Falling again. Everything is blindingly white. A tall silhouette again. Calling out. The silhouette turns to me, walks forward. All goes dark again. The purple flash and the scream. The symbol. It gets closer, closer, closer still, then it’s gone. _

Jackie woke with a start. _I've had that dream before,_ she thought. She got up carefully and pulled out her dream journal, flipping to the first empty page.

_ Entry Two: 07/22 2:26 a.m. _

_ I had the same strange nightmare again, only it felt… different this time. There was considerably less kicking and screaming on my part, and when I called out to the silhouette, it turned toward me and started walking. It almost appeared to get shorter, too. What in Arceus' name could this dream possibly mean? I'm stumped. I need to get some more sleep and think about this. Maybe I'll ask Vance what he thinks the dream means. Goodnight. _


End file.
